Is Evander Kane permanently fading for the Oilers or just temporarily?
A look into Evander Kane’s early season issues, the impact of Connor McDavid’s absence for the Edmonton Oilers and an epic media fail.
Evander Kane is one of, if not the, best power forwards in the league. No question about it. However, he has been a bit slow out of the gate for the Oilers to start the season.
Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal likes to sound the hyperbole alarm, asking if Kane is starting the slow decline as other power forwards that have played for the Oilers. These include Milan Lucic, Zack Kassian, and James Neal. (Although the latter player I’d classify more as a finesse player than a power forward. Not sure what McCurdy was thinking there.)
The eye test says that Kane was starting to get his legs back against Winnipeg, but he has been demoted to the third line right now to go against easier competition as he does so.
In his defence, so was Connor Brown, and likely for the same reason. McCurdy trots out nonsensical advanced stats to defend his point of view, but never seems to point to the injury as the reason why.
Nor does McCurdy even entertain the idea that he can chalk it up to an aberration of the injuries from last season and that he can’t tell the future anymore than anyone else. So it’s incredibly arrogant of him to trot out his advanced stats, as justification for a future he can’t see and doesn’t know about anymore than anyone else.
How do you know that the injuries suffered last season aren’t having temporary lingering effects this season? You don’t. Only time will tell.
Rather than sound the alarm so early in the season, why not let Kane play the games and prove one way or the other?
If he’s still having speed issues when we’re at the March portion of this season, then we can push the panic button. Until then, there’s no reason for McCurdy to whip the fanbase into a frenzy and panic them into spilling stupidity on the internet.
I don’t know if Kane is starting to permanently slow down, or if he’s just working through the major injuries he suffered and his current slowness is just a bump in the road onto normal health a bit later on in the season. However, I refuse to be alarmist and declare the worst now, like McCurdy. This just reeks of irresponsible reporting.
Part of the reason Oiler fans drink the stupid juice so badly is in part — again, just in part — because the media drops bird droppings like this once in awhile. However, at least I’m willing to keep an open mind and give Kane a chance to prove one way or the other. McCurdy meanwhile, has already condemned him to the dustbin of Oilers history, which is just wrong.
Focus on Oilers response to McDavid injury
So for those of you who haven’t heard because you’re living off the grid or something, Connor McDavid was seen holding his ribcage/stomach area in the last game against Winnipeg. The day after, the doctors checked him and it looks like he’s got one of those mysterious injuries listed as an “upper body injury” and will be out one-to-two weeks.
The last time McDavid was injured in 2020, Leon Draisaitl took the team on his back. He ended up cleaning up at the NHL awards, winning all the accolades that normally go to Mcdavid.
I would suspect that history will repeat itself and the Deutchsland Dangler will do the same thing this time around. However, it’s safe to say that in this young season where we’ve only played five games, in three of those the Oilers simply laid an egg in the effort, defensive, and consistency categories.
With McDavid out, not only will we see Draisaitl step up, but now the entire team must also do the same. With this much talent out of the lineup, the rest of the players will have no choice, but to do better.
McDavid will still hang around the dressing room and be an inspiration to the rest of the players. If your captain is out, and that doesn’t inspire you to step up your game and play better, then as an NHL player you clearly have no heart. You just watch; the effort, consistency, and defensive play will all get much better, because it has to if the players don’t want their season to fall off a cliff.
Then when Mcdavid comes back, all you have to say to the rest of the team is “keep doing what you’re doing”.
Now that being said, the loss of the best player in the world will have a ripple effect regardless. However, you can help to minimize the damage, if the rest of the team steps up and plays in a way to compensate as much as possible for McDavid’s absence.
With the issues we’re seeing on the team right now, this could be just the tonic the Oilers need to fix these issues, rally around each other, and play up to their potential. After all, playing the way they should in only two out of every five games is not going to result in a winning season or even a playoff spot, much less a division win or the Cup.
Sam Gagner
Although there’s been no official transaction yet, it appears the visa issues are close to being resolved. In the post-game press conference versus the Jets, Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft was asked about Sam Gagner and said that they are looking to send him down to Bakersfield shortly. We’ll see what becomes official soon.*
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Speaking of bad media…..
Watch Draisaitl’s response to an incredibly stupid and ignorant question from Mark Spector of Sportsnet. I recognized his voice, as he’s been part of the media scrum in Edmonton for years.
Draisaitl was justifiably and visibly annoyed by Spector’s stupid question regarding talking to Stuart Skinner about his botched puck retrieval that led in part to the tying goal. (A defensive miscue by Darnell Nurse started it.)
If you watch his answer, Draisaitl is 100 percent correct. Everyone makes mistakes, and players piling on other players when they make mistakes has no upside.
Epic fail from Mark Spector there.
Next. 5 numbers that sum up Oilers' first 5 games. dark
* Editor’s note – This post was written prior to the Oilers and Condors officially confirming the signing of Gagner. As per Oil on Whyte’s Devon Hladunewich, this is a win-win for the player and the organization.